IPL 2021: PBKS vs KKR Preview – Teams seek change in fortunes with change in venue
Punjab Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders have travelled from their respective bases and will open the Ahmedabad leg at the first-ever IPL match at the largest stadium in the world. The two teams have not had an ideal start in the tournament, but coming into this match, the situation is a lot different for these two teams.
Punjab got back to winning ways in their previous match. They started the 2021 edition with a win but drifted away with three losses on the trot. They stand with two wins now from five matches, while Kolkata have lost all their last four matches. They also had started with a win, before slipping to consecutive losses. Both the teams will be upbeat, but Kolkata have a certain advantage of having some good memories against Punjab. In the 27 matches thus far, Kolkata have won 18 while Punjab have just won nine.
Match Info:
IPL 2021 Match 21- Punjab Kings vs Kolkata Knights Riders
Venue: Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad
Time: 7:30 PM IST
Head to head:
Stat Attack:
This will be Dinesh Karthik’s 50th IPL match for KKR.
Chris Gayle needs 4 more fours to complete 400 fours in IPL.
Team News:
Punjab Kings: With Fabian Allen and Moises Henriques in their mix, Punjab were able to register a win. Even though Allen was impressive with the ball in both the matches, the nature of the Ahmedabad pitch could make KL Rahul opt for Jhye Richardson instead. Having said that, this should be the only change in the Punjab team, who won their previous match. Chris Gayle and Nicholas Pooran will be the other two overseas picks.
Kolkata Knights Riders: Shivam Mavi was introduced in the previous match in place of Kamlesh Nagarkoti in the previous match. The young pacer might retain his spot in the XI, having bowled a decent spell of 1 for 19 from four overs. As they are now moving away from Mumbai, they could also bring back Harbhajan Singh, who played for them in the matches in Chennai, on a pitch that aided spin. Ahmedabad didn’t spin much during the T20I series between India and England, which would make the KKR team continue unchanged.
Probable XI:
